Cats, a musical allegory for Illinois politics

In 1981, Andrew Lloyd Webber debuted his musical Cats to an unsuspecting yet completely fascinated theater world. Apparently, audiences really wanted to see a bunch of people dance around while wearing skin-tight leotards and face paint, because Cats became the No. 2 longest running show on Broadway ever. While the musical, running through Sunday at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, has no explicit ties to the dirty world of Illinois politics, some parallels simply cannot be denied. A long-standing leader watches over a ragtag gang including a disgraced diva, a magical boy on the rise, and a couple of thieves? Might as well be City Hall. The A.V. Club breaks it down.

The Daleys as Old Deuteronomy
Old Deuteronomy, the immortal leader of the Jellicle cats, chooses the feline that will ascend to the Heaviside Layer, a plane of ionized gas about 100 kilometers above ground—a.k.a. heaven. A father-son duo whose terms combined would span generations, the Daleys have been charged with the fates of millions, and every so often a few people get lucky. They both start with D. Is this starting to make sense to anyone else?

Alexi Giannoulias as Mr. Mistoffelees
Alexi Giannoulias was elected state treasurer in 2006, the youngest nationwide to hold the job and the first Democrat in 12 years. He also received an endorsement from some dude named Obama around that time. Magically, Giannoulias is now running for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Mr. Mistoffelees, the conjuring cat, does 24 consecutive 360-degree spins on one foot while shooting glitter out of his fingertips. Again, magical. Giannoulias and Mistoffelees should hold hands as they take their trip to the Heaviside Layer together.  

Isaac Carothers and Arenda Troutman as Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer
Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer steal from the very people that took them in. Read: Chicago aldermen. Arenda Troutman and Isaac Carothers, the two most recent aldermen indicted on federal corruption charges, come in a convenient male-female pair, just like Webber’s dastardly duo. Troutman, the first female alderman charged while in office, was sentenced to four years in prison for accepting bribes. Carothers, indicted on charges of bribery and fraud, pled not guilty in court and remains in office as the alderman of the 29th ward. Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer continue to steal whatever it is that cats are able to carry out of your house.

Rob Blagojevich as Grizzabella
Grizzabella is the cat that sings “Memory.” And… the hair.